2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Furchner
A German surname potentially derived from Furch, meaning "furrow", suggesting an agricultural or farming background.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Furchner. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furchner surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Furchner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furchner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Furchner
The surname Furchner is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "furh" meaning "furrow" or "trench." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a furrow or trench, or perhaps as an occupational name for a ditch-digger or someone who worked with trenches.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Furchner can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg, where a Johannes Furchner was mentioned in a document dated 1427. The name also appeared in other parts of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Furchener, Furchtner, and Fürchner.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hans Furchner, a German painter and engraver who lived in Nuremberg from around 1520 to 1585. His works, which included religious subjects and portraits, were highly regarded during his time.
Another historical figure with the surname Furchner was Johann Christoph Furchner, a German theologian and author who lived from 1683 to 1756. He wrote several books on religious topics and served as a pastor in various churches throughout Germany.
In the 19th century, Carl Furchner, a German businessman and industrialist, played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Saxony. He was born in 1818 and established a successful textile manufacturing company that employed hundreds of workers.
The name Furchner can also be found in various place names across Germany, such as Furchnerhöfe, a village in the state of Bavaria, and Furchnermühle, a former mill located in the town of Marktheidenfeld in Lower Franconia.
Another notable bearer of the Furchner surname was Wilhelm Furchner, a German architect who lived from 1860 to 1923. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Charlottenburg Palace and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
While the surname Furchner is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furchner
Among Census respondents with the surname Furchner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Furchner bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Furchner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furchner
Furchner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,263 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-17 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,263 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 15,890 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Furchner surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #136,449 | #152,339 | -11.6% |
| Count | 123 | 106 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furchner bearers went from 123 to 106 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 15,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #152,339.
FAQ
Furchner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furchner?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Furchner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Furchner?
Furchner ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Furchner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Furchner.
Has Furchner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furchner went from 123 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Furchner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furchner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Furchner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furchner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Furchner (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Furchner mean?
A German surname potentially derived from Furch, meaning "furrow", suggesting an agricultural or farming background. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Furchner (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Furchner?
Find out how common the surname Furchner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.